Extract from Railway Magazine

September 1957

Letters to the Editor, "Thurso Station"

Sir,
Local circumstances frequently have an effect on rail traffic; far too often they result in closure of a line. It is therefore pleasing to be able to record an increase in traffic on a branch. At Thurso (the most northerly station on British railways) it is noticeable that the new atomic plant has brought much greater activity. For many years, the trains usually consisted of two coaches, but latterly they have been regularly strengthened. When I left Thurso for the south in July, the train was made up of four modern corridor coaches. The Wick portion was also of four coaches, and the combined train left Georgemas Junction behind two Stanier 4-6-0s, and was double headed throughout the journey to Inverness.

Thurso must be one of the few stations which is never entered by a locomotive. The branch is worked by one engine, which runs round its train, and pushes the coaches in. The station, which has an overall roof newly painted in cream, and hanging flower baskets, is thus kept beautifully clean.

Regular interval timings are becoming increasingly common on British Railways, but it may not be generally realised that there is an example of this in the North of Scotland. Although there are only two services in each direction operating throughout the year.